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Energy drink Vuka lands on Whole Foods shelves

Vuka, a new line of energy drinks, landed a distribution agreement with Whole Foods Markets, company officials announced today.

“We are thrilled to see our product on the shelf at Whole Foods,” said CEO Alexia Bregman. “Whole Foods has been great to work with, and they are very receptive to new products.”

Vuka, which means "wake up" in Zulu, offers four different natural drinks designed to help boost energy throughout the day. The new Denver-based company introduced Vuka drinks "Awaken," "Workout," "Think" and "Renew" at Denver Farmer's Market on Aug. 12. The product is currently sold in Denver and Boulder stores. A national rollout is planned for the near future, Bregman said.

“It looked like a great opportunity for us to market it in a great way and ship from anywhere,” she said. Bregman, who has a background in marketing, is targeting her product at consumers age 30 and older.

In addition to Whole Foods, the company is expecting to distribute Vuka to other stores within the coming months, said Glenn McDonald, vice president of sales and distribution.

“We want a long-term sustainable business,” McDonald said. “We’re starting local and we’ll grow. Our goal is to be the world’s best product.”

Vuka comes in a 16-ounce aluminum bottle and retails for 3.49. "Awaken" is made up of 50 percent juice and enhanced with Vitamins A, C and E. Vitamins B3, B5, B6 and B12 are in all of the drinks. "Think" is a lightly carbonated pomegranate and lychee drink that has DMAE, ginkgo, biloba and panax ginseng. "Workout," also lightly carbonated, has a berry lemonade taste and is made with Rooibos (African Redbush). It contains L-carnitine, potassium, sodium and magnesium to restore vital fluids and minerals before, during or after a workout. "Renew" is meant to be a reviving drink. It is a mango peach drink with caffeine, panax ginseng, D-Ribose and taurine.

“I want to down one right now,” said Ansley Kreitler of Denver after sampling the energy drink. “I love the light carbonation. It’s not like a lot of energy drinks out there.”